ConnieTact

I managed to check in for the cruise this morning, All very straight forward. We printed off the boarding passes and luggage labels at work. Just finished packing and it is clear there are two members of the family who want to come with us! 😻🧳😻

I received an email at 11pm to invite me to log on and complete check-in on ‘my Ambassador Sailing’. Having changed my password (yes! I forgot it! 😅) I logged on. I got to the correct page but the check in was not available. I’ll try again in the morning. Yesterday, I received both an email and a text from ‘Hard Days Night Hotel’ to invite me to check in there too. This worked well, so at least the first two nights are confirmed on our Magical Mystery Tour!

Due to train strikes, we actually no longer have a ‘Ticket to Tide’ on the train to Liverpool- the alternative Beatles song I was singing (‘Yesterday’!) was ‘Don't Let Me Down!’😅 Just a week away from our travel date, I received notification that both trains I had booked were cancelled due to U.K. rail workers industrial action. After a busy day, MrCT helped me research alternative ways to travel, one way, to Liverpool. Our options were National Express coach which would take around 5 and a half hours including one change. An Uber which was five times more expensive than my (bargain) train tickets. We even researched local flights from Bristol to Liverpool but these would stop at Isle of Man and as soon as I added larger hand luggage the price went up too high. We settled for car hire -one way. It’s now booked and paid for and at least we know we can still get there now! We could have cancelled all the other elements and got a cruise transfer from Bristol to the ship on sailing day, but that would mean missing out on a lot of fun pre-cruise activities.

Sounds like you’ve had some great,longer journeys on smaller ships. I fancy doing a Brazil to Barcelona one day and I know MrCT is also very keen on going to Cuba. I agree itinerary is important for exploring new places. We take a yearly, January, ‘lazy’ Med cruise which we enjoy for resting and comfort rather than getting off at each post that we know well already. This way we can enjoy the ship while others are off it!

Thanks for the great review. A good reminder of the ship- we were on the inaugural TA. We agree, we won’t used that class of ship again but have used NCL since. I loved the photos that remind me of going to all those places. Thanks for taking the time to share them and your thoughts too.

Thanks Sand$! Have you sailed with Ambassador before? Do you particularly like the size of a smaller ship or do you like the more simple design of an older one? I have to say I rather like the all singing, all dancing big ones but am happy to experiment new cruise lines and their ships too!

We love the yacht club and have another two booked. If you like a touch of luxury and a quiet enclave to escape to you’ll love it. We also loved the duplex - it had a real wow factor for us but I did meet a guest who was disappointed with it! She was used to owners suites on other cruise lines. I don’t think the MSC offering the upgrade at that, it’s usually on a sliding scale so is starting, ‘minimum’ bid at that amount. You may not ‘win’ it even if you did go for it. I always offer just a little more and have been upgraded both times I have tried for it. I have also been lucky, and received free upgrades in the past. Enjoy your cruise whatever you decide but please let us know what you did!

Due to past experience, I always said I would never cruise on an older, smaller, ship. This ruled out all the ships that would dock in my home port, Bristol, Royal Portbury, U.K.! Last month, I booked a cruise on such a ship, Ambassador Ambition, which will dock at that very port! It is in our home ‘town’. It all fitted in with a big birthday surprise I had planned for Mr CT! He had, shall we call it, a ‘milestone’ birthday this month and I wanted to surprise him. I created a Magical Mystery Tour! I then made him guess, in a music style quiz, what the surprise was! Most of the songs were by the Beatles! When he guessed one correctly, I would move to the next song! First, he guessed we would be day trippers with “a one-way ticket, yeah!” And then, picture himself “on a train in a station” from the Beatles song ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds!' I won’t take you through the whole quiz, but he guessed correctly that we were going one way on the train to Liverpool and there we would stay. The hotel was an easy song choice, named the “Hard Day's Night” Hotel! We will go for an excursion with the Beats tour, the ultimate Beatles tour experience. It is a ride in a huge yellow-decorated car, a replica of John Lennon’s Rolls-Royce Phantom. This will take us to the Beatle’s childhood houses, to the spot that inspired Strawberry Fields and also to Penny Lane. All the while, the guide will play Beatles songs! We had booked this experience two years ago, but sadly missed it as we were stuck on our cruise ship and couldn’t get off in time to make the tour! The tour owner remembered this and kindly gave us a good allowance for this rebooked one. Back to the quiz! Last, Mr CT guessed we were going to get back home, by sea! We have never sailed the Bristol Channel as the bigger ships we prefer can’t go up this stretch of water, so this will be a different experience. We can easily get an Uber home as it is only 6 miles away from the port! I had priced up doing this trip and compared it to going from Southampton to Lisbon on NCL and flying home, but it worked out as a similar daily rate, all things considered. Also, we often sail to Europe and are doing a similar cruise in October, so I settled for a more memorable mini-break. The icing on the cake, and deciding factor, was that on this two-night cruise from Liverpool, the fantastic band ‘The Bootleg Beatles’ would perform on the ship! We love a Beatles tribute band, but these guys are the very best. They command high-priced tickets when they play around the U.K., so I thought we were really getting added value by having them onboard. I found it amazing that this fitted right in with my theme. I am hopeful this will be a cruise never to be forgotten! Follow along on my trip. Like all my live reviews, I will include lots of pictures and helpful information for others considering cruising with the relatively new British cruise line that was founded just two years ago. I will do my best to answer any questions you may have too. This ship only started sailing with passengers in May this year, so there’s not much ‘out there’ to read about it. So I will do my best to present my findings and help fill that gap. Our adventure starts 10 days from today, so I will post again a little closer to the time!

That’s handy to know about the seating arrangements. Thanks for the tips! I’d be the one asking them to move their stuff so we could sit down! 😅😂 I think I’ll carry my own hand-gel so I can stay clean when I need to. Really would be wise to have hand-gel next to the bottles if they are going to leave them out. We’re only onboard for two nights (tester!) so we’d be very unlucky to catch anything in that short time…watch this space! 🤞 I plan to do an another online review so, really, watch this space! 😂

Thank you! That sounds promising! Great to hear you enjoyed it! Regarding the entertainment, what times were the main shows? Also, who did you have in the way of singers in the bars? Was there enough space for everyone who wanted to see shows? Thanks

Which is the safest area in Seattle to stay? We haven’t booked hotel yet so would like any advice. @justhappy I hope you don’t mind me asking on your thread!

We were hassled a lot in Morocco and didn’t enjoy that! Leaving the port by foot, we had cars following us, crawling along and calling from the windows. Then at the shops so much pressure to go in. I’m glad I didn’t have a baby with me! 😅

A few months ago we had Pommery in YC on Virtuosa as the didn’t have any NF It was great! 🍾

Thanks for that info. I have kept it as we have tree days in Seattle planned in May. Some good ideas there.👍

Thanks @YVRteacher for an interesting and beautifully visual report. I’ve enjoyed following along. I love reading reports during the ‘in between times’ when I’m not on a cruise myself!

What is the latest? Are things improved now? We’re onboard 3/9. Thanks

I see you already mentioned this in your review of the ship four weeks ago…. I presume it’s still upsetting you a month later! If you were going to leave the tea bags in the cabin anyway, you didn’t lose out on anything. Strange incident and strange thing to post about! 😅

That’s great news. I’ll be the one sitting having this! 😅☕️🫖

Just caught up with your posts as we’ve been away to Ireland for a few days. Congratulations on your wedding. Beautiful photographs. I’m also enjoying your review. I’d love to know about any entertainment onboard too.

Sounds like a great day! I’d love the Elton John performer -I hope he is on when we are onboard in January! 🤞

@Cruiseforever11I know!!! It’s such a shame! I’ll miss it but won’t pay for it in the speciality unless it’s cheap as I feel it’s been ‘taken away’ from us! We are back on Virtuosa in October and I will report back on if they are still serving it on there. Maybe they will on the U.K. cruises? It’s a British thing so maybe MSC will keep it for Southampton sailings? 🤔 I hope so! @Nikodemos Im enjoying your report so far too! Thank you!

Thanks Nikodemos, although that is really bad news! It seems YC is not as good as it was! What a shame. This was a perk I really enjoyed….without paying extra! how much is the afternoon tea at Ray Polo please? thanks again for your information.

Thanks for doing this live review. We are on this ship in January also in YC. is the high tea you mention a replacement for the afternoon tea they usually serve in YC lounge? I just wondered if the butlers still serve it in the afternoons exclusively in YC. If not, do you pay extra in the other bar? Thanks

I’ve enjoyed reading your live review. We are in Alaska next May and loved looking at your photos. Thanks for sharing them. All the best for your disembarkation and have a safe journey home.

All the best for your special day! How exciting! Yes! Please post wedding pictures. Always a joy to see. I’ll be following along, as we haven’t been on Meraviglia before although we have stayed in YC inside, balcony and also duplex suites on other MSC ships.